Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-12
A Gigantic System of Thieving De-
tected on the Panhandle Railway,
Many Freight Crews Involved,
Detectives on the Trail for Months.
Hundreds Arrested-HOW the Pill
fering was Carried On,
Special Agent Rue of the Pennsylvania
Railroad on the Robberies and
Their Detection.

has been detected. The first arrests were
made about o'clock this morning, the
police surprising eighteen men st their
boarding houses. The men were taken
at once to jail. Further arrests were
made between 2 O'Clock and daylight,
when fOrty-six men, ell railroad employees,
conductors, brakemen, tiremen and engi-
neers, were behind the bars. In sp aking
of the arrests, prominent officer of the
Panhandle road says: "FOr three years
past the Panhandle road has been system
atically robbed. Cars on sidings and cars
in moving trains were broken open and
goods stolen, including every description
of merchandise. 1t is estimated that at
least 100000 worth of goods
has been taken, for which the
company had to pay. In August
last we got clue. Detectives were en-
ployed who followed up every scent.
When everything was ready we decided
to make move all along the line from
Columbus to Pittsburg and at 2 O'Clock
this morning was fixed to strike the blow.
About eighty warrants were issued for
men in PittsbWg. l can't tell how many
for other places, but it was at every point
along the line. 1t will run up into the
hundreds. 1t is the biggest thing of the
kind that has ever happened in Pittsburg
or in railroad matters in the world, for
nothing like it has ever happened before.
We suspect outsiders of being implicated
in the robbery, but know nothing posi-
tive"
Early one morning some months ago
at Sheridan Station, near this city, train
was stopped for water An attack was
made On the crew and in the fight the
fireman was killed. Two cars were
broken open and their contents stolen.
Baker is accused of firing the shot tb&t
killed the fireman anu this is understood
to be one of the thirty-eight charges
against him.
John IL. Hampton, attorney for the
Pennsylvania company said: 'In Sep
TENDER there were eighty crews offreight
trains on the Panhandle Railroad coming
into Pittsburg. No less than seventy-tive
W re found to be crooked. The crews
consist of a conductor, fl3gmau and two
brakemen. In most crews ell TIE men
were involved. The statement that the
engineers and flremen were mixed up in
the robbery tsPwrong. Not single one
is involved. The goods were obtained
instances Stats were broken, in others
holes were cut IN the end of the car.
Then they reported the car in bad cOndi-
ton, claiming the hole had been made by
accident. The thing which alarmed US
more than anything else was that they
stole large quantities of whisky and
drank it in the caboose. Men were con-
tinually being reported drunk on duty,
Lbn Nhoh Of
something frightfuI to contemplate. All
kinds Of goods were stolen, including
sewing machines, guns, TevOlYers, cut
lery, silverware, cigars, clothing, liquors,
groceries, furniture and in fact every
imaginable article that could be carried
on car was quietly removed. Places
were established in this city where the
stolen property was sold, the money be-
ing evenly divided among the crews"
The arrests have created the greatest
excitement among the railroad employees
in this city.
The scenes about the jail doors this
morning where the relatives of the prls-
oners had gathered to learn the cause of
the arrests, were of the saddest descrip-
ton. Wives, children, parents, brothers
and sisters, with tear-stained faces stood
around the entrance to the prison, eager
to hear the latest developments and
pleading with the officers for admission
to the jail to see the prisoners. At l
O'Clock ten more arrests were re-
ported. They were captured at the pay
car while receiving their wages. This
makes total of tifty-six now in jail here
and it is supposed that as many more
have been apprehended at other points
along the lines. CONSERVATION prevails
among the proprietors of the dens where
the goods were seCreted and sold. In
one instance the proprietor of notorious
den Wss detected in the act of burning
stolen property.
A telegram just received from Denni-
son, OHIO, states that j. r. Dunlap, lead
er of the gang, was arrested there this
morning. Nearly 200 warrants are still
out, and it is expected that the list
of arrests IN this city will be
swelled to eighty before night.
A number of houses in various
parts of the city were raided, to-day and
large quantity of goods recovered.
Every man arrested had stolen goods
somewhere. Among the prisoners were
several desperate characters who were
wanted by the police for other offenses.
They were all armed, and, when not
taken by surprise, resisted arrest. Mum
bers overpowed them, however, and all
were safely lodged in jail.
A special dispatch from Dennison,
Ohio, says the officers have arrested
James and W. Coils with several thou
sand dollars worth of velvets and high
priced dry goods in their possession, ar
ticles taken from United States bonded
cars en- route to Chicago, ST. Louis and
other points west. One Busby,
the worst man, slipped his hand cuffs,
and recklessly threw himself from the
train while it was gong, and escaped.
The most important arrest made here was
that of brakeman named Young. He
called at the Jail to see one
Of the prisoners this morning,
and WAS Immediately locked up.
At first he protested his innocence, but
finally he admitted that he had large lot
of stolen property at his home, and told
how the goods had come in his posses
sion. His confession will, it